The effects of carbon fibre hybridisation on the thermal properties of woven kenaf-reinforced epoxy composites were studied. Woven kenaf hybrid composites of different weave designs of plain and satin and fabric counts of 5×5 and 6×6 were manually prepared by a vacuum infusion technique. A composite made from 100% carbon fibre was served for a comparison purpose. Thermal properties of pure carbon fibre and hybrid composites were determined by using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It was found that a hybrid composite with higher kenaf fibre content (fabric count 6×6) showed better thermal stability while the highest thermal stability was found in the pure carbon fibre composite. The TG and DTG results showed that the amount of residue decreased in the plain-designed hybrid composite compared to the satin-designed hybrid composite. The DSC data revealed that the presence of woven kenaf increased the decomposition temperature.

The effects of different fabric materials namely weave designs (plain and satin) and fabric counts (5 × 5 and 6 × 6) on the properties of laminated woven kenaf/carbon fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were evaluated. The hybrid composites were fabricated from two types of fabric, i.e., woven kenaf that was made from a yarn of 500tex and carbon fibre, by using vacuum infusion technique and epoxy resin as matrix. The panels were tested for tensile, flexural, and impact strengths. The results have revealed that plain fabric is more suitable than satin fabric for obtaining high tensile and impact strengths. Using a fabric count of 5 × 5 has generated composites that are significantly higher in flexural modulus as compared to 6 × 6 which may be attributed to their structure and design. The scanned electron micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the composites demonstrated that plain woven fabric composites had better adhesion properties than satin woven fabric composites, as indicated by the presence of notably lower amount of fibre pull out.

Abstract-Natural fibers have gained attention in composite making since it is sustainable, renewable and environmental friendly. However, there are some drawbacks such as low tensile strength, modulus and flexural strength compared to industrial synthetic fibers. Various techniques have been used to increase the mechanical properties of the reinforced material in order to compete with synthetic fibers. This study is to produce reinforced fabric made from kenaf fibers woven into four different weave patterns. The reason for the use of different weave patterns is to reduce the crimp percentage as it may increase the tensile strength of the fabric. The weave patterns are Twill 4/4, Satin 8/3 and Basket 4/4, while Plain 1/1 is used as a benchmark for its tensile strength. The dry fabrics structure with different weave pattern was optimized using a simulation of WiseTex software. The dry fabrics were infused with unsaturated polyester to produce composite panel using vacuum infusion process. The dry fabric and the composites were tested on tensile strength and compared with the Plain 1/1 weave pattern. The result shows the breaking strength of dry fabric increased when different weave pattern with low crimp percentage were used compared with Plain 1/1. Yet, in composite form there is reduction in tensile strength for Basket 4/4 due to changes in the fabric structure making some parts of the composite became weaker. The other weave patterns still retain the trend of increment in tensile strength compared with Plain 1/1 weave.

To produce a good quality of dry fabric for reinforced material in a natural-based polymer composite, yarn linear density should be in consideration. A woven kenaf dry fabric with three different linear densities of 276tex, 413.4tex and 759tex were produced. The fabrics with different linear densities were been optimize with the assistance of WiseTex software. The optimized dry fabrics were infused with unsaturated polyester to produce composite panel using vacuum infusion process. The composites properties were tested on the tensile strength, flexural strength and the impact strength. The result shows that the mechanical properties of the composite increased when the yarn linear densities increased.

Abstract-Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an advance Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique in which a component is manufacturing in a layer by layer manner by melting the top surface of a powder bed with a high intensity laser according to sliced 3D CAD data. AlSi10Mg alloy is a traditional cast alloy that is often used for die-casting. Because of its good mechanical and other properties, this alloy has been widely used in the automotive industry. In this work, the effects on the relative density is investigated for SLM-produced AlSi10Mg parts on one factor at a time (OFAT) basis by keeping constant various parameters such as laser power, scanning speed and hatching distance. It is shown that AlSi10Mg parts produced by SLM having best relative density values are at 350 watt laser power, 1650 mm/s of scanning speed and hatching distance of 0.13mm.